The Axistence Journal

The Farmer’s Carry is pretty simple, technically: Mindfully pick up a heavy weight in each hand and go for a walk. For such a straight forward movement, the gains are spectacular. Being able to carry your own body weight about 50 meters is a big sign of overall health – and longevity.

It’s Insanely EfficientWhen you pick up and walk with heavy weight, you’re taxing muscles you didn’t even know you had. You have to brace yourself, tightening everything up, then move. It requires grip strength, core strength, and works all the joints and muscles you need for good posture. As you shuffle forward under weight, different, deep muscles are put to work with every movement, increasing the overall strength of your whole body.

It Gets You Fit for Everything ElseWhen you increase overall strength, you’re fit for everything else you do, from squats to deadlifts to cardio, to practical application (hoisting your kid into the car).

“The loaded carry does more to expand athletic qualities than any other single thing I’ve attempted in my career as a coach and athlete.” -Dan John

Get MovingWant to give it a try? We recommend starting with a weight feels challenging to carry for 45 seconds to a minute. See how it’s done in a quick video:

By Jake LottThe weight, and reps you choose for your training can change depending on whether you are looking to improve hypertrophy, muscular endurance, one rep max, or multiple rep max. Head coach Ryan Humphries demonstrates the best choice for you based on the guidelines established by the NSCA. Functional exercises like deadlifts, squats, clean, and jerk translate to effective improvements in training for life.

Ryan Humphries, Co-Founder & Lead Coach​The TUTGU (Time Under Tension Get Up) was originally developed as a modification for shoulder and/or back issues, or for individuals who can't get all the way to the ground without using their hands. However, we found that it not only keeps the shoulders and back in a good position if done correctly, but it also allows the athlete to stay under tension with more load - getting better results for everyone who does it.

The bummer about the kettlebell clean is bruising your forearm. But this movement is a huge strength builder, and there IS a way to do it without whacking your arm. If you do them swiftly and correctly, the KB should land and rest softly on your forearm, with your wrist straight and tight and your arm folded into your chest.

Check out this quick video where Ryan demos the steps to practice to get it right: Single arm dead lift > pistol pull > dead stop clean.